How a Stevie Award Winner Is Helping to Clean Up Emissions in Asia

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Thu, Jul 02, 2015 @ 01:06 PM
The Chief Representative for Clean Air Task Force in China, Dr. S. Ming Sung won the Bronze Stevie® Award for Executive of the Year - Non-Profit or Government in the management awards categories of the 2015 Asia-Pacific Stevie® Awards.  The edition of the 2016 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, which are open to all organizations operating in the 22 nations of the Asia-Pacific region, will open for entries in October 2015. Find out how to get more information here.

Dr. S. Ming SungClean Air Task Force (CATF), a nonprofit environmental organization based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA, believes that partnerships between companies in China and the West are crucial to accelerating the commercialization of low-carbon, coal-based energy generation. To that end, CATF is working in China and elsewhere in Asia to facilitate the development of joint business ventures between innovative energy companies and research institutions.

CATF is represented in China by Dr. S. Ming Sung, its Beijing-based Chief Representative for Asia-Pacific. CATF and Sung’s efforts in China focus on developing partnerships and knowledge-sharing that build on the country's current leadership in low-carbon coal technologies essential to addressing climate change and energy security.

Working Together

Beyond simply importing Western technologies, Chinese firms are working side-by-side with U.S. companies to learn how to adapt technologies to their needs and train new workforces. “The United States is more innovative,” said Sung. “But China tends to execute projects faster and cheaper than anyone else. So, if we can get the United States and China working together, everyone will benefit, and those concerns will also make a lot of money.”

Sung is profoundly aware of the importance of his work. As he put it: “CATF has a unique role to play in protecting the environment and addressing global climate change by catalyzing these business-to-business collaborations between the U.S. and Asia.”

Averting the Worst Consequences of Climate Change

Reliance on coal creates many challenges—along with some critically important opportunities. Energy companies in North America, Asia, Europe, and Australia have enormous experience and expertise working with coal, and are similarly motivated to develop technologies and techniques that will preserve a role for cleaner coal in a carbon-constrained world economy.

Business-to-business collaborations hold the potential to:

- Mitigate the cost of developing highly advanced clean energy technologies;

- Shorten the deployment time of clean energy systems;

- Decrease the world's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

The environmental and economic benefits of transitioning to clean energy will be smaller and slower to materialize if western and Asian companies do not work together. Investments by both countries will reduce the cost of that technology worldwide, increasing the likelihood that low-carbon technologies such as carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) will be widely deployed in time to help avert the worst consequences of climate change.

Developing Partnerships in China

Together, the U.S. and China account for about 40% of the world's CO2 releases. Both countries are heavily reliant on fossil fuels, so the challenges they face are the same: How to cut CO2 emissions without harming economic growth and national security. CATF therefore believes that in developing climate change solutions, the U.S. and China are natural partners, not rivals.

Dr. Sung has helped CATF to facilitate several joint ventures between U.S. and Chinese technology companies to get low or zero carbon coal deployed quickly. (Find out more about these projects on the CATF website.)

Dr. Sung has worked with Chinese energy industry leaders to draft energy proposals. He serves as the Senior Economic Advisor to the Chinese city of DaQing, and has been a keynote speaker/moderator at many international conferences.

China’s giant state-owned companies are taking the lead on these projects, and many also involve major international partners. “If CCUS is to succeed, the U.S. and China must share more technical information on clean-coal technology,” says Sung.

A Thirst for Cleaner Energy

China's thirst for cleaner energy and the targets established in its 12th 5-year plan are pressuring the major companies operating in China to ramp up their efforts to explore for natural gas in shale formations and rapidly scale up production. But haste may risk environmental degradation and adverse human health impacts as reported in the press (e.g. The New York Times article "China Takes On Big Risks in Its Push for Shale Gas" from April 11, 2014).

CATF's vision is that by learning from the experiences of modern shale developers, China can leapfrog to more advanced, cleaner, safer practices proven in the U.S.

Moving Forward on Solar, Nuclear and Renewable Energy

Taking the "all of the above" approach to clean energy, CATF has also worked on helping China’s industry develop nuclear and solar capabilities. For example:

  • As part of U.S.-China collaboration on nuclear energy development, CATF is helping Chinese nuclear operators receive training in U.S. facilities run by Duke Energy and Southern Companies. Trainees shadow U.S. nuclear operators for a 3-6 months program;
  • Working with Duke Energy, Huaneng Group, and others, CATF is evaluating and validating the technical and economic feasibility of advanced small modular nuclear reactors for the global market, including China;
  • CATF recently held a solar thermal technical conference in China for potential Chinese market development, and facilitated a meeting between Huaneng Group and a major solar thermal plant operator in Nevada;
  • This past year, CATF helped General Compression, an energy storage company based in Massachusetts, to partner with Huaneng CERI to develop a commercial demonstration facility in China.

About Dr. S. Ming Sung:

Dr. S. Ming Sung joined the Clean Air Task Force as its Chief Representative for Asia-Pacific shortly after the 2008 ACEII Roundtable event in Beiijng. An American citizen, Dr. Sung was born in Shanghai and is fluent in all three major Chinese dialects. He is well connected with China energy companies and relevant public officials, and has deep ties to the global coal gasification and large chemical/energy project development communities. Dr. Sung's experience and connections have proven a perfect fit with CATF and he has immeasurably expanded ACEII's ability to achieve its objectives.

Dr. Sung's professional experience extends over 40 years in the energy and IT industries. He has worked for a handful of the world's leading companies and institutions, including Shell (where he spent 25 years), AspenTech, BASF, Monsanto, US DOE, and XinAo Group (a division of China's ENN Group). His experience covers management, engineering, operations, and marketing in coal, oil, chemicals and related areas.

Dr. Sung earned his BS and MS in Chemical and Petroleum Refining Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines. His Ph.D. research was in asphalt rheology at the University of Florida.

About Clean Air Task Force:

Clean Air Task Force is a nonprofit environmental organization with offices across the U.S. and in China. CATF works to help safeguard against the worst impacts of climate change by catalyzing the rapid global development and deployment of low carbon energy and other climate-protecting technologies through research and analysis, public advocacy leadership, and partnership with the private sector. For more information, please visit www.catf.us.

Topics: Asia Awards, Asia-Pacific Business Awards, Asia-Pacific Market, Asia-Pacific, Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, AsiaPacificStevieAwards

Schedule Changed for 2015 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Mon, Nov 03, 2014 @ 11:36 AM
We have changed the schedule for the 2015 (second annual) Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the top business awards program for the region.

APSA14 award presentationIt has come to our attention that updates that were supposed to have been made to the website at http://Asia.StevieAwards.com before the opening of the awards last month were not made. It will take us about two weeks now to update the website fully. Therefore we are changing the schedule.

The early-bird entry deadline with discounted entry fees, originally published as November 12, has been changed to December 3. Review the complete revised calendar for the 2015 awards. The awards are open to all organizations operating in the 22 nations of the Asia-Pacific region.

REVIEW THE ENTRY KIT HERE.

We expect the website to be ready to accept your entries the week of 17 November. You may submit your 2015 entries anytime after that date.

We have added many new categories to the awards, including marketing awards, PR awards, new product awards, HR awards, and more. Explore them all here.

The website at http://Asia.StevieAwards.com is available in, and entries may be submitted in, seven languages: Chinese, English, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Malay and Thai.

Please contact us with your questions about how to participate in the 2015 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards.

Topics: business awards, marketing awards, PR awards, stevie awards, new product awards, Asia-Pacific

Stevie Awards Winner Rockwell Automation Improves Customers’ Productivity Worldwide

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Wed, Jul 23, 2014 @ 03:27 PM

Rockwell Automation in Singapore won a Silver Stevie Award in the Company of the Year Awards categories of the 2014 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards.  (The 2015 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards will begin accepting entries this September from organizations through throughout the 22 nations of the Asia-Pacific region. Get your entry kit here.)

1407RockwellRockwell Automation (RA) is the world’s largest company dedicated to industrial automation and information. Its Asia Pacific Business Center (APBC) in Singapore serves as the company’s global development headquarters

We asked Co Gia Nguyen, APBC’s Vice President & General Manager, what winning a Silver Stevie at the 2014 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards had meant to him and his team.

“Winning this award is a testament to the effectiveness of the Rockwell Production System. This allows our leaders and employees to work together efficiently, achieving process and production excellence in our manufacturing facilities to better fulfill our customers’ needs,” he told us. “It also serves as a well-earned recognition and appreciation of our team of research and development, engineering, and manufacturing experts at APBC.”

Delivering Results

The business center was established in November 2005. Currently over 600 employees work at APBC on the following RA automation-control product lines: CompactLogix™; SLC™; Distributed Input/Output; Micro Controllers; PanelView™ Component; and Component Drives.

Nguyen praised the hard work of his team. “The team has worked tirelessly and enthusiastically to help the company leverage its end-to-end integrated supply-chain-management process,” he told us. “This award acknowledges Rockwell Automation’s ability to deliver innovative products that command customer loyalty and drive actions, results, and accountability for a competitive edge.”

Positive Brand Awareness

In addition, Rockwell Automation wrote and distributed a press release announcing their win. Nguyen told us that it received “significant coverage in many of the top-tier industry publications across Asia—driving positive brand awareness among our target audience.”

Continued Nguyen: “The Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards have provided a platform for good exposure for Rockwell Automation’s brand—not only with the panel of judges and other Stevie Awards winners, but also among our partners and customers, thanks to the media coverage we gleaned through the prestige attached to the awards in the U.S. We believe that by building more brand awareness of the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, the competition’s clout in this region will grow incrementally, adding greater benefit to companies in this region.”

Looking to the Future

The APBC’s research and development, engineering, and manufacturing experts are conveniently located near machine builders in Asia-Pacific, a market vital to RA’s growth.

We asked Nguyen what new technologies he thought would most affect his customers in the future.

"Rockwell Automation’s vision is to leverage technology to transcend industrial business barriers and add value to the connected enterprise, as well as to the industrial ecosystem," he told us. “New commercial technologies will seamlessly connect people, processes, devices, and data so industrial operations can be integrated, optimized, collaborative, sustainable, and secure.

“The evolution of a smart, Internet-enabled architecture that transforms data into practical knowledge will lead to sustainable competitive differentiation with enhanced plants and supply networks.”

Improved Operations

Nguyen explained that, in a connected enterprise, plant personnel could capitalize on the business value of possessing the right information at the right time with visibility into production data and supply-chain information.

“The convergence of new technologies that securely connect plant information with enterprise IT systems results in greater productivity, better utilization of assets, and improved decision making,” he added. “By bridging the gap between production and enterprise networks, Rockwell Automation shows how the connected enterprise enjoys intuitive and improved operations, as well as a lower total cost of ownership.”

A More Secure Environment

Nguyen noted that as the historical disconnect between enterprise and production networks is bridged, manufacturers, producers, and utilities will need to understand potential security risks and best practices for developing a more secure environment. As he put it: “Rockwell Automation helps companies protect their industrial control and information systems with effective security strategies.”

Sustainability

With more industrial firms seeking sustainability, automated real-time reporting and monitoring allows on-demand viewing of data that can be transformed into actionable information. “With an eye on energy savings, Rockwell Automation can help operations managers and business leaders design, monitor, and control their energy usage,” concludes Nguyen.

About Co Gia Nguyen

Co Nguyen is Vice President and General Manager of the Rockwell Automation (RA) Asia Pacific Business Center.  He is the head of this legal entity located in Singapore and is responsible for its profit/loss and for managing all relationships and interactions with the Singapore government and other related agencies.

Nguyen joined Rockwell Automation in October 2007. Prior to accepting his current position in October 2010, he was the Business Director responsible for the Distributed Input/Output and Small Controller businesses located in Singapore.

Nguyen has had extensive general management, product development, operations, and account management experiences and has worked for multi-national companies such as Johnson Electric, Honeywell, General Electric, AVX Tantalum and ITT Cannon.  Nguyen also had strong multi-cultural experiences having lived and worked in the United States, Brazil, and Hong Kong. 

Nguyen received his Bachelor of Science, majoring in Mechanical Engineering, from the United States Military Academy at West Point.

About Rockwell Automation

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK), the world’s largest company dedicated to industrial automation and information, makes its customers more productive and the world more sustainable. Headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Rockwell Automation employs about 22,000 people serving customers in more than 80 countries.

Topics: business awards, stevie awards, company of the year, Asia-Pacific, rockwell automation

Grand Stevie Winners Announced in the 2014 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards

Posted by Maggie Gallagher on Mon, Jun 02, 2014 @ 07:16 PM

The Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards gala awards banquet took place this past Friday in Seoul, South Korea where five Grand Stevie Award winners were announced along with Gold, Silver, and Bronze Stevie winners.

The Grand Stevies were conferred upon the five highest-scoring Gold Stevie Award-winning entries from the five nations that submitted the most entries to the 2014 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards.  Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie winners were announced in April. 

The Grand Stevie Award winners are:

  • marasgroupMaras Group, of Adelaide, Australia.  Steve Maras, Managing Director & CEO of the firm, won Gold for Services Executive of the Year in Australia.
  • PTTelekomPT. Telekomunikasi Indonesia, Tbk (Telkom Indonesia) Jakarta, Indonesia, which had won a Gold Stevie for Technology Company of the Year
  • PartspARTs & IMSEONOC, Seoul, South Korea. 
    IMSEONOC's Korean Uniform for the 2015 PartspARTSSochi
    Winter Olympic Closing Ceremony had won
    a Gold Stevie.
  • ABS-CBN, of Quezon City , the Philippines, ABS-CBN logo
    which won one of their two Gold Stevie Awards
    for Services Company of the Year.
  • Delta Air Lines logoDelta Air Lines - Asia Pacific Customer Engagement and Sales Support Center, Singapore, Gold Stevie winner for Customer Service Leader of the Year.           

 

The Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards are the first new Stevie Awards program to be launched in seven years.  This business awards program was open to all organizations operating in the 22 nations of the Asia-Pacific region. 

Review the full list of Stevie Award winners here.

The 2014 awards offered 18 categories to choose from including Technology Company of the Year, Servcies Company of the Year, and Fastest Growing Company of the Year. We congratulate those who were awarded with a Stevie Award this past Friday.

Join the mailing list for the 2015 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards and you'll be emailed the entry kit as soon as it's available this fall.

Topics: business awards, stevie awards, company of the year, Asia-Pacific, executive of the year

Asia's Top Businesses Named in 2014 Asia-Pacific Stevie® Awards

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Tue, Apr 29, 2014 @ 01:01 AM

First Winners in Newest Stevie Awards Program to Be Honored in Seoul on 30 May

29 April 2014 – Fairfax, VA USA: Winners in the new Asia-Pacific Stevie® Awards, the only business awards program to recognize achievement in business throughout the entire Asia-Pacific region, were announced today.  The complete list of Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners is available at http://Asia.StevieAwards.com.

The Stevie Awards are widely considered to be the world's premier business awards, conferring recognition for achievement in the workplace over the past 12 years in programs such as The International Business Awards and the Stevie Awards for Women in Business. The Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards are the first new Stevie Awards program to be created in seven years.

Tickets on sale for the Asia-Pacific Stevie AwardsStevie winners will be celebrated and presented their awards at a gala banquet at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul, South Korea on Friday, 30 May.  Tickets for the event are now on sale.

Stevie Award winners include, among others:

  • AirAsia Berhad, Malaysia
  • ABS-CBN, the Philippines
  • Billabong International Ltd, Australia
  • Fast Retailing Co. Ltd, Japan
  • Huawei Technologies, China
  • Hyundai Steel, South Korea
  • Yoma Strategic Holdings Ltd, Singapore

All organizations in the 22 nations of the Asia-Pacific region were eligible to submit entries.  Nominations of more than 500 organizations were considered for the awards this year.

More than 50 executives around the world participated in the first round of judging to determine the Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners.  A second judging panel will choose a very few Grand Stevie Award winners beginning the first week of May.

The Stevie Award trophy, made by the company that makes the Oscar and other major international awards, is among the world's most coveted prizes.

For more information about the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards, visit http://Asia.StevieAwards.com.

About the Stevie Awards
Stevie Awards are conferred in five programs: The American Business Awards, The International Business Awards, the Stevie Awards for Women in Business, the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service, and the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards. Honoring organizations of all types and sizes and the people behind them, the Stevies recognize outstanding performances in the workplace worldwide. Learn more about the Stevie Awards at www.StevieAwards.com, and follow the Stevie Awards on Twitter @TheStevieAwards.

Topics: business awards, stevie awards, company of the year, Asia-Pacific, best companies, best executives

April 29 Is New Announcement Date for Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Thu, Apr 17, 2014 @ 12:56 PM

We received such a large, late influx of entries for the Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards that we've had to change the announcement date for the winners.

APSA LogoGold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners will now be announced and notified on Tuesday, April 29 - not on April 23, as originally planned.

The reason for the change is that we've had to extend the judging for a week to ensure that all entries are fairly judged.  The judging, originally scheduled to end on April 18, will now conclude on April 25.

The Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards are the first new Stevie Awards program to be introduced in seven years.  This new business awards program is open to all organizations operating in the 22 nations of the Asia-Pacific region.  More than 400 entries were submitted this year.

Currently more than 100 executives are reviewing the entries in the first-round of judging, which will determine the Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie winners to be announced on April 29.

A second round of judging, to be conducted in early May by another international panel of executives, will choose a handful of Grand Stevie Award winners from among the Gold Stevie winners.

The Stevie winners will be celebrated and presented their awards during a gala banquet on Friday, May 30 at the Lotte Hotel in Seoul, South Korea.  Tickets for the banquet will go on sale on April 29.

Join the mailing list for the 2015 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards and you'll be emailed the entry kit as soon as it's available this fall.

Topics: business awards, stevie awards, Asia-Pacific, seoul

Schedule Revised for First Asia-Pacific Stevie® Awards

Posted by Michael Gallagher on Wed, Nov 27, 2013 @ 10:20 AM

We have decided to change the schedule for the 2014 Asia-Pacific Stevie® Awards, to allow more time to solicit entries, recruit judges, and ensure that the first edition of these awards are a success.

Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards logoThe Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards are the first new Stevie Awards program to be launched in seven years.  The competition is open to all organizations operating in the 22 nations of the Asia-Pacific region.  The website at Asia.StevieAwards.com is available in seven languages, and entries may be submitted in, and will be judged in, all of those languages.  The competition features 18 categories.  Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie Award winners will be chosen on a national basis, and Grand Stevie winners on a regional basis.

Here is the revised schedule:

The entry deadline that was originally scheduled for December 4 has been changed to February 19.

The late entry deadline, originally scheduled for January 21, has been changed to March 31.

The first round of judging, to determine the Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie winners by nation, will begin after the March 31 deadline.

The announcement of Gold, Silver and Bronze Stevie winners by nation will be made on April 23.

The second round of judging, to determine the winners of the Grand Stevie Awards in each category, will begin the week of May 5.  Grand Stevie winners will be announced at the awards banquet.

The first Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards banquet will take place in late May in Seoul, South Korea, the date and setting to be determined.

Get your entry kit and full details on the competition at Asia.StevieAwards.com.

Questions about the competition?  We have representatives in a number of Asian nations to help you - check out the list of them here.

Topics: business awards, stevie awards, Asia, Asia-Pacific, how to enter, how-to video